Dear Mr. Carillo,
I owe you belated a response. As to my age, I am 70 years old and still very much fond of your language column. Sometimes I think you are the most erudite person in the Philippine media industry.
Joke aside, I suppose most of your readers are seldom aware that the improvement of a language is a never-ending task. One should take up mastering a language during early childhood. An example worth quoting stems from the famous letters of the Earl of Chesterfield to his sole son. The father started to instruct the boy at the age of five.
In the letter dated from October 4th, 1738, Lord Chesterfield admonishes his descendant: “It is of the greatest importance to write letters well; as this is a talent which unavoidably occurs every day of one´s life, as well in business as in pleasure; and inaccuracies in orthography, or in style, are never pardoned but in ladies”. The Lord proposes to study the letters of Cicero, “which are the most perfect models of good writing”.
One year thereafter the father goes into details. “The first thing you should attend to is, to speak whatever language you do speak, in its greatest purity, and according to the rules of Grammar; for we must never offend against Grammar, nor make use of words, which are not really words. This is not all; for not to speak ill, is not sufficient; we must speak well; and the best method of attaining to that, is to read the best authors with attention”.
“In order to avoid all these faults, we must read with care, observe the turn and expressions of the best authors; and not pass a word which we do not understand or concerning which we have the least doubt, without exactly inquiring the meaning of it”.
Needless to say, erstwhile was Lord Chesterfield, the most celebrated orator in British Parliament.
Kind regards from an avid reader who does once in a while disagree with the selection of topics treated in your weekly column.
Dr. Erhard Glogowski
64380 Rossdorf
Germany
